The present embodiments relate generally to power and flow management for an engine and a hydraulic pump used for powering hydraulic loads, such as hydraulic tools and/or cranes. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the electronic control of engine speed and hydraulic fluid flow in a service pack or other unit capable of providing a flow of hydraulic fluid to hydraulic tools.
Some work vehicles may use one or more hydraulic-powered tools. These tools are powered via one or more pumps driven by an engine, such as the vehicle engine and/or an engine of a service pack. The one or more pumps provide a flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic-powered tools for power. In certain cases, the rate of flow of hydraulic fluid to a tool determines the amount of power available to the tool.
The main vehicle engine, which can power the one or more pumps and, in some configurations, other auxiliary devices, can be a large engine. Large engines are particularly noisy, and can be significantly over powered for certain uses, causing them to be fuel inefficient in some instances. Further, other smaller engines, such as the engine of a service pack, can be fuel inefficient at times. For example, a typical hydraulic system used to power a crane and other hydraulic tools may be powered by an engine. Typically, the hydraulic system uses full hydraulic output at full or idle engine speed, despite the amount of load applied by the user. In such arrangements, there may either be too much power or too little power for the hydraulic tools. When there is too much power, the user must make careful manual adjustments to avoid over-use or over-adjusting of the tool. Additionally, the use of full engine and hydraulic output is often power-inefficient, which can reduce the life of the engine and hydraulic parts. When there is too little power, the user may not be able to utilize the full output of the hydraulic tools, and is only able to use one tool at a time. The careful manual adjustments may be difficult for the user, and can be inaccurate. Moreover, these manual adjustments to the hydraulic system and/or the engines are made at the system. Because some hydraulic tools may be connected to the hydraulic system by long hydraulic lines, this may result in inefficiencies as the user walks back and forth from the work area to the system. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems for supplying hydraulic output to hydraulic loads, such as a crane and other hydraulic tools.